"So we didn't get a chance to make many plans at lunch." Fujitsima said, breaking the awkward silence between them. "I hope Honda-san is excited to go."

"Oh, yes." She said, trying to sound eager. "I haven't gone to view blossoms since Mother and I went. That was a lot of fun, Mother showed me how to people watch and we watched all the happy families." Tooru gave a real smile at the thought. Her mother had pointed out family after family spinning tales about their lives, that father had just gotten a promotion, that son had just been accepted to a prestigious high school, that mom had just found out she was having another baby...

"That sounds nice." Fujitsima said. "Last year I went with my parents and sister too." He blushed. "This'll be the first year that I'll be going to a "couples only" party."

"Me too." Tooru said, flushing just as red. She'd forgotten about that part. She'd never been involved as part of "couples" anything.

"Um... you know... I've never really asked, so I don't know how Honda-san feels..." Fujitsima said nervously. "I mean, going to a couples only party kind of means that we're... um.. a couple. That is..." He coughed into his free hand. "That we're dating.. um...going out, like... just with each other. Is that okay with you?"

Tooru looked up at him, like a deer in headlights.

"What I'm saying is, I'd like it if Honda-san was my girlfriend, and I'd be her boyfriend." He stopped glancing at the building she worked in then back at her.

"Um..." Tooru said intelligently. "That is..." She was just so surprised. It wasn't that she didn't understand that Fujitsima was interested in her that way. But they'd only been on one date, and they hardly knew each other. "Um..."

His face fell but he rallied gamely. "Honda-san doesn't have to answer right away." He squeezed her hand and let go. "I'll wait till Honda-san is ready to give me her answer. Only..." he looked at her hopefully. "Would Honda-san mind if I call her "Tooru-kun"?"

"No!" Tooru said quickly. "I don't mind, I don't mind at all. Fujits...um Fuji-san and I are friends, aren't we?"

"Yes!" Fujitsima glowed. "I'll see Tooru-kun at school tomorrow." He jogged off, radiating happiness.

She walked numbly inside the building. Boyfriend? She wondered what you were supposed to feel when someone asked you to be his girlfriend. She would have thought happiness or excitement. She did feel a little glow at the thought. Somebody wanted her. She had friends, and she knew that Uo-chan and Hana-chan loved her the way she loved them. And the Soumas... she wasn't quite sure what she was to them... other then a trusted friend. They were precious to her, but she didn't know if they held her in the same regard.

No one had ever pursued her before, tried to attract her attention so blatantly. Like she was someone special. Yuki and Kyou were both so hurt and unused to being friends that she'd had to spend most of her effort in chasing them instead of the other way around. She knew they did like her, and care for her; they wouldn't have gotten her from her aunt's if they hadn't. She knew they cared. But no one besides Fujitsima had said "I like you. I like you because..."

But she was pretty sure that you weren't supposed to feel a blind flash of panic at the thought of dating someone. Or were you? She didn't have any experience, and Uo-chan and Hana-chan hadn't ever said anything about it so she assumed they didn't either. She hadn't watched many movies, or read all that many manga, but didn't most girls get very nervous about their first boyfriend? Maybe it was normal. She tried to think about how her mother had described her and her father's courtship, but she hadn't talked about it much. Her mother had just said that her father had saved her.

She started mopping the hallway floor, turning the idea over. Fujitsima-san, her boyfriend. Fuji-san, she corrected herself, wrinkling her nose. She didn't even feel comfortable calling him by his nickname, much less calling him her boyfriend. But how could she say no to him? He was so nice. He'd be so disappointed. She didn't want to hurt him. But becoming his girlfriend just felt... not right, like puzzle pieces that just don't quite fit together and were being forced.

She wanted someone to talk to. She didn't feel comfortable talking with Yuki or Kyou, it felt wrong to bring it up around them. Hana-chan and Uo-chan would listen, she was sure, but since they hadn't had any experience either she didn't know how much she could learn from them. She longed for her Mother, but that wasn't an option. That left...

Shigure. Tooru was halfway convinced that Shigure knew everything. He was playful, but he was always coming up with just the right thing to say. She had to talk to him anyway, to ask if it would be okay for her to go with Fujitsima on Friday after school.

And she knew, even if he was a Junninshi, that he had to have dated at some point. And he was a writer! Some of the romances he'd written had to have covered this kind of thing. Maybe she should read some of his romances... Yuki and Kyou had discouraged her when she was curious about them before, but she felt so behind everyone else. It was like everyone else knew a secret and she was the only one who didn't.

She nodded to herself. She'd talk to Shigure tonight and ask to borrow some of his books. Maybe love was like other things; it just needed practice and study to get it right.

:0:0:0:

Yuki leaned against the cool metal of the guardrail, finally starting to gain a measure of calm. He'd been in a foul mood all day, thanks to that moron. He'd decided to go straight home rather then work on preparing some materials for the student council meeting. He thought he might be able to calm himself by tending his garden, but he'd been so restless and upset that he couldn't settle on a task. Now he had one bed of vegetables half weeded, another patch half planted and a couple of clumsy signs stuck up as random markers. He sighed. He hadn't been able to do homework, or eat dinner. He'd finally just collapsed on this bed and imagined doing awful things to Fujitsima, before drifting off into a fitful nap.

When he woke up he'd decided, even though it was an hour early, to go Tooru's workplace. The walk would hopefully calm him, and just knowing he was going to see her made him feel a little better. He'd taken his time getting there window shopping along the way. He'd pretty much abandoned his plan to follow the dating magazine's advice to make Tooru see him differently, but his mind had latched on to the idea of getting her a gift.

It was an interesting puzzle, to try to come up with something she'd like. He loved puzzles. She didn't buy clothes, shoes, gadgets or knickknacks. She'd made her interest in the zodiac clear but he'd feel awkward giving her something from her year, the dog, because of the association with Shigure. Likewise it would be too embarrassing to give her something that was related to the rat. And if he gave her something that had the whole zodiac in it she'd find some way to work in the stupid cat, and he didn't want to see that. She'd acted like the ribbons he'd given her were dipped in gold, and she certainly wore them often enough.

He thought about getting her some small piece of jewelry, something else he could see her wear and smile to himself about. He was pretty sure her ears weren't pierced, or at least, he'd never seen her wear earrings. So a necklace, ring or bracelet... But after glancing around at some of the stores along the way he didn't see anything that was personal enough. He did see a few rings, but the ones he liked were expensive. He knew Tooru wouldn't like him to buy her anything cost too much; it would make her feel guilty.

So, no jewelry. He looked down at the bag dangling from his fingertips. It had been a total impulse buy, he'd seen it and bought it before he really thought about it. He hoped she liked it. He tried to come up with a reason for the gift, other then 'Just Because.' "Just because I want to see you smile..." he thought, "Just because I want you to look at me, and see only me, for just a couple of minutes. Because I want you to think of me, every time you see it."

"Yuki-kun is early!" Tooru had snuck up on him while he was daydreaming.

He started and looked at his watch. "So is Honda-san." It was about twenty minutes before she usually got out.

"The ladies I work with saw you waiting and told me to leave early." She turned and waved. Yuki looked up to see a couple of middle aged women in work smocks watching from a 3rd story window. He gave them a wave and they waved back eagerly, like young girls, shedding years as they remembered boys they'd had crushes on in the past. "Were you waiting long?"

"No," Yuki smiled, leaving his slouched perch on the guardrail. "I wanted a little air tonight, so I left early and took my time and did a little window shopping."

They started back towards home. Tooru smiled, "I'm glad to see Yuki-kun is feeling better."

Yuki looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

Tooru blushed, "Yuki-kun wasn't himself today. I thought maybe, Yuki-kun wasn't feeling well."

"I'm sorry if I caused you to worry." Yuki said, inwardly wincing that she'd seen him so out of sorts, "I woke later then I wished this morning, and it put me in a foul mood." He tensed thinking of his conversation with Fujitsima, "And some things irritated me today."

"Some things?" Tooru prompted.

"Don't worry about it." Yuki was quick to reassure her. "None of it was Honda-san's doing."

"But... If Yuki-kun likes, he can tell me about what irritated him anyway." Tooru smiled. "Mother always said that a problem shared was a problem halved. Maybe if Yuki-kun shares his irritation with me he won't feel so bad next time."

"Thank you." Yuki smiled, "Just the offer makes me feel much better. Ah!" He looked down, "I almost forgot." He hadn't... but it was as good excuse as any to switch the subject. He couldn't exactly tell her that her "Fuji-kun" had told him to stop talking to her because it made people talk. "I bought something for Honda-san today." He stopped and held up the shopping bag.

"For me?" Tooru gasped. "Yuki-kun shouldn't have done that!"

"Please accept it." Yuki said pleadingly. "It made me feel better to buy it. So it's just as much for me as for Honda-san. Here." He held out the bag.

Tooru set her book bag down on the ground and bowed a little as she accepted it. "Thank you, Yuki-kun." She looked inside and pulled out a something wrapped in white paper. "Ooh, how cute!" She exclaimed as she unrolled it from the protective tissue. She held out a small fat pot that fit in the palm of her hand. It was made of thick terracotta and painted white with a leaves and vines on the side. She peeked back inside the bag. There were four pots all together and a narrow tray to hold them.

"It's a window garden." Yuki said. "There are seeds and some soil in little packets at the bottom."

"Ah!" Tooru carefully re-wrapped the pot and put it back in the bag. She dug out a little packet that read "chamomile" and saw another labeled "lemon balm." She smiled at Yuki. "Thank you so much!"

"Honda-san doesn't really have a place that's just hers." Yuki said, "I was thinking that today."

Tooru blinked.

"What I mean is, I have my secret base, and Shigure has his study and
even the Baka Neko has the roof..." Yuki looked away from her. He'd been trying to think of somewhere he could get her alone, and besides his garden he couldn't think of anywhere. "I wanted to give Honda-san a place to relax too. Honda-san does work too hard." He smiled at her. "It's just a little thing, but I hope Honda-san enjoys it. I tried to pick out plants Honda-san would enjoy growing. It has seeds for different kinds of tea herbs. There are four kinds. "

"Thank you!" Tooru said, hugging the bag to her. "It's like Yuki-kun has given me my own secret base. When they're grown I'll make Yuki-kun the first cup of tea."

"Do you want me to help setting it up?" Yuki asked.

"Oh, yes." Tooru nodded. "I suppose it's too late tonight..." She pouted, "and tomorrow Yuki-kun has student council."

"It shouldn't be a long meeting." Yuki made a promise to himself that it would be a very, very short meeting. "Maybe after dinner tomorrow? We can set it up on the window ledge in your room." He looked up and suppressed a frown. They were home already.

"I'd like that." Tooru smiled. "Then every night before I go to bed, I can look at it."

Yuki went bright red. He turned away from her quickly before she noticed in the darkness. Every night before she went to bed she'd look at it... This was better then his ribbons in her hair. "Um, let's get inside." He couldn't let her see how much she affected him.

:0:0:0:

Yuki had practically run into the house a head of her. She thought maybe he was a little embarrassed by what she said, and the thought made her heart give a funny thump. The last night when he'd walked her home and she'd gotten him to open up to her, when he'd blushed and looked so awkward, she'd felt that funny rhythm too. Like her heart was throbbing to a different beat. She put her hand over her chest. You'd think a thing like that would be uncomfortable. But it made her feel buttery and soft inside. It was so pleasant and relaxing, she'd try to remember that feeling every time she looked at her gift.

She went upstairs and unwrapped her gift, setting it on the windowsill. She put the little pots on the tray and set the packets of seed and soil next to them. Her very own miniature secret base, it was possibly one of the best gifts she'd ever gotten. She took a moment to re-arrange the pots so the vines and leaves painted on the side faced the same way and then each were evenly spaced apart on the tray. She wanted to keep running her fingers over the mouths of the jars, and around the lip of the tray. She tore herself away, promising herself a small set of paints to write "secret base" on the tray next payday.

She was about to get into her pajamas when she remembered about Friday. She sighed. Shigure was still up; he was reading his paper downstairs. Yuki was in his room and she assumed that Kyou was in his, that or on the roof. Now was probably the best time to talk to him.

It had seemed like a good idea to ask him about love, feelings and romance while she'd been mopping the floors at work. Now she felt nervous and uncomfortable. She was used to feeling dumb, but really, a person ought to just sort of know those kinds of things, shouldn't they? Either way, she told herself, she had to go ask about the cherry blossom viewing. She assumed he'd say yes, but she did have to ask. She squared her shoulders and decided to go right downstairs to talk with him. If she could work up courage to ask about the other stuff she would, if not... at least she'd have an answer for Fujitsima tomorrow.

She peeked outside her door. She wanted to avoid any awkward questions from Yuki and Kyou about why she'd want to talk alone with Shigure. Thankfully the house was quiet. She could hear faint strains of music coming from Kyou's room; he must be reading his sports magazines. Yuki rarely stirred from his room once he was in it, so now was the perfect time. She walked quietly down the stairs and into the living room.

Shigure looked up and gave her a smile. "Ah, my little flower. Not in bed yet?"

"Soon," Tooru smiled nervously, "I just... I needed to talk with Shigure-san, if he has time?"

"For my lovely bride, I always have time." Shigure said expansively and made a show of folding up his paper. "Is this the kind of conversation that requires tea?"

Tea would make her feel much better. "I'll go make some." She glanced nervously at the stairs. "Could we maybe talk in Shigure-san's office?" She'd never screw up the courage to ask the questions wanted if she was worried Kyou or Yuki might wander downstairs any moment.

Shigure raised an eyebrow. "This sounds serious. Why don't I clear a spot for you while you're making the tea?"

Tooru nodded distractedly and walked into the kitchen to heat the water. It took not nearly enough time to boil, and she had a small tray of tea and cookies together in what seemed like a blink of an eye. Why was she so nervous, she wondered. She steeled herself and walked into his study.

Shigure had meant it when he said he needed to clear a space for her. His study was a mess as usual. There were clothes, papers, teacups and books everywhere. He'd made a semi-circle of cleared floor around his desk. It looked like he'd just pushed the clutter away from the desk. Tooru stepped gingerly over pile of debris into the cleared zone. Placing the tea tray on his desk, she glanced nervously at the low pile of mess surrounding them. She felt like she was being walled in by clutter.

"Shigure-san should let me clean up in here." Tooru said, mentally planning where she would start. First would be the dirty dishes and laundry... She poured out the tea for Shigure and herself, trying to figure out how many loads of garbage she'd be able to pull out of there.

"That would be asking too much of Tooru-chan." Shigure chuckled. "But maybe this weekend we can work together to make this mess into some semblance of order."

"I'd like that." Tooru smiled, fiddling nervously with her teacup.

There was a moment of awkward silence between them. Tooru tried to screw up her courage to ask about Friday and her other questions buzzed in the air between them. How do you know if you like someone? Like like. How do you know if they like you? What is it supposed to feel like when someone asks "will you be mine?" She felt like she could swat them away, the air was so thick with them.

"Why so nervous?" Shigure said, making her jump. "Tooru-chan is making me worried." He looked at her seriously, his dark eyes shadowed in the dim light of his study.

"Fujitsima-san," Tooru started hesitantly, "asked me on another date."

"Ah." Shigure said, reading her sentence like a fortuneteller reads tea leaves, finding layers and layers of meaning in that short phrase. "When?"

"This Friday," Tooru said, setting her teacup down, picking it up and setting it down again. She looked into the depths of her tea. "He wants to go view the cherry blossoms with some other classmates."

Kyon and Yuki?" Shigure asked casually, sipping his tea. He deliberately didn't try to force eye contact. She was like a nervous kitten, if you tried to grab her she'd bolt.

"No, two other...ah...couples." Tooru blushed, and peeped up at him.

Shigure nodded, "Ah, couples."

"Since usually I do the cooking, I said I had to ask if I could go." Tooru explained when he didn't say anything further. She didn't know what she wanted him to answer.

Shigure shifted in his seat, studying her. "We'd never stop Tooru-chan from doing something she wanted to." He cocked his head at her curiously. "Does my little flower want to go?"

Want to? She set her teacup down and folded her hands together. Fujitsima had asked, but he and the others just assumed she did. "Well, I mean," Tooru said haltingly. "If I got permission... I said I'd go." At least she thought she had. Everyone seemed to think so. It was a little too late to decide that she didn't want to go, wasn't it? And she did want to go, didn't she?

"Does Tooru-chan," Shigure asked softly, "want me to say no, don't go?"

Tooru started and looked up at him. She looked back down. If he said no, then she wouldn't have to... But Fujitsima had looked so happy about doing something 'couples only.' "Oh, no, that is, Fujitsima-san really wants to go...and I do think it would be fun..." The last part was said more like a question then a statement.

Shigure didn't look convinced, but he sighed and waved a hand. "Then I will have to do without my lovely young bride's cooking for one night." He sipped at his tea, "But if Tooru-chan changes her mind, I can develop a sudden craving and insist you stay home."

She blushed at the implication. She'd feel horrible if she did that to Fujitsima. She shifted nervously.

"Was there something else Tooru-chan wanted to ask?" Shigure quirked his eyebrows at her playfully.

Tooru went beet red. This was such a bad idea. How could she ask...? He'd think she was so stupid. "Um..." Her traitorous mouth started moving before her brain caught up, "Shigure-san's books... the one under his penname..." The books, she'd ask to borrow some of his books. Maybe she'd learn something from those and wouldn't have to ask.

"My romances?" Shigure prompted, staring at her.

Tooru bowed her head, certain she was going to spontaneously combust. "May I borrow some?"

"I don't mind..." Shigure said watching her squirm, "But I have quite a few. Was there a particular title you were interested in?"

She had no idea. "Um... is there any that Shigure-san recommends?

The dog gave her a long look. She had expressed and interest in his books before, but had never actually read any of them. As he recalled she was more interested in his high literature works and hadn't ever really paid attention to his romances. With the sudden upswing in romance in her life he could guess why she was suddenly so curious. She was so skittish, he decided that direct confrontation would probably not be best.

"Well, most people choose their romance based on the kind of romantic scenario they like best." Shigure said digging behind him in the pile of clutter. He pulled out a battered book and glanced at the cover. "Like this one, is a historical romance between a samurai and a geisha."

"Um... maybe something more... umm..." Tooru faltered.

"Modern day?" Shigure supplied and turned to dig through another pile. He pulled a couple of books out, he shuffled them like cards. "This one is between an Office Lady and her boss, this one is College Student and Professor, and this one a students in high school."

"Oh!" Tooru said sitting up. "That last one..."

"The high school romance?" Shigure tossed the other two over his shoulder and looked at the cover of the last book. "Mmmm... Okay." He handed it to her. "But that one is boy's love."

Tooru looked at the cover. "Love's Battle." She read aloud, underneath the lurid type was a thin red-haired young man, shirt open, pressing a doe-eyed, silver haired boy up against the wall. The silver haired boy looked like he was trying to push the other boy off, but couldn't. Tooru's mouth dropped open. "Shonen ai?" She whispered. She'd heard girls in her class squeal about this kind of thing before, but she'd never encountered it.

"More Yaoi, then Shonen ai." Shigure waved his hand back and forth. "It might not be what Tooru-chan is looking for. Maybe if she told me?"

"Um... I'm looking for a story about High School..." She started hesitantly, gripping the book tightly. "Um... first romance?" She felt like Shigure could see right through her.

"Boy Meets Girl?" Shigure asked.

"Yes... or maybe, um... Girl meets Boy?" She really wanted something from a girl's point of view.

Shigure sat back, leaning on his hands. "Like Tooru-chan has met Maseo-kun?"

Tooru ducked her head, mortified. "Well, it's just that... I..." She stumbled.

"Tooru-chan has questions." Shigure said, "And thought you might find an answer in one of the books?"

"Yes." Tooru could feel tears starting to prick at the back of her eyes.
She'd never been more embarrassed in her life.

"Mmmm." Shigure said rubbing his chin. "I don't think that Tooru-chan will find what she's looking for in books. Romances are idealized... and not very much like real life."

Tooru wanted the earth to open up and swallow her.

"But if Tooru-chan has questions..." Shigure smiled, "She can ask me. I'll try to answer as much as I can." He brightened. "Or!" He drawled, "If Tooru-chan wants to talk to a woman, I could call Mi-chan over!

"No, no!" Tooru said quickly, not wanting to spread her shame any further. "Shigure-san is fine. I trust Shigure-san."

"You do?" Shigure looked genuinely surprised.

"Of course." Tooru said, looking up at him. "Shigure-san is one of the smartest people I know. And he's so kind."

A confused guilty look chased across Shigure's face, but he swept it away quickly. "What would Tooru-chan like to ask me?"

"What does love feel like?" She blurted.

Shigure blinked at her. He opened his mouth, closed it and then ran a hand through his hair. "The act or the emotion?"

Tooru cocked her head. "I don't understand..."

"Of course not..." Shigure shook his head. "I mean... you want to know how being "in love" feels like?"

"Yes!" Tooru nodded, sitting forward eagerly. "How do you know if you like someone?"

"Those are two different questions." Shigure said seriously. He leaned forward and crossed his hands on the desk. "Love feels different to everyone. It's indescribable... and there are different kinds of love."

Tooru sat back dejectedly.

"I can tell you," Shigure continued, "That love starts here." He touched his stomach, " and here," he touched his heart, "way before it gets to here." He tapped his temple. "It starts with a shivery feeling on your skin, or a bubbly feeling when you are with that person. Some people say it's like a funny heartbeat or butterflies in your stomach."

He smiled, "For me it's like being hungry."

"Hungry?"

"Yes, for me that's what it's like." He lay his hand flat over his stomach. "It's like a gnawing feeling when I'm not with that person. I want to see them, be with them." He wagged a finger at Tooru, "But like I said there are all kinds of love. With some people, it's just a craving now and then, like seeing someone walk by with a fancy dessert. You want to try some, even if you're full. Or a favorite food, you want to have it because it reminds you of good times." He sat back again. "But with my most special person... I'm like a starving man."

Tooru wanted to ask a flood of questions. Who was Shigure's most special person? How could you want a love like food? She remembered how she felt after her mother died, and she understood. You just wanted more, just a little bit more, all the time. And that was one kind of love, wasn't it...? And Uo-chan and Hana-chan were like favorite foods, being with them made her happy but she didn't need them all of the time. She might want to be around them a lot, but she didn't need them. She remembered those few days when Yuki and Kyou had seemed to disappear in the house and she hadn't seen them. She'd craved them then, hadn't she? Even though she had Fujitsima and Hana and Uo, she'd just wanted them there too.

She nodded, her mind reaching for a conclusion that seemed just out of reach.

"So for each kind of love, there is a different feeling..." Tooru mused out loud. "And for your most special person, it's the strongest?"

"Yes." Shigure agreed.

She looked up at him. "And I should feel it here," she put a hand on her stomach "Or here," she put a hand over her heart. She remembered the unsteady rhythm she got when she saw how flustered and red Yuki got last night. Her heart stuttered again.

"Some people feel it in their skin." Shigure qualified. "They describe it as tingles or shivers when the person is around. But pleasant. And some times people say it's like a magnetic pull. You can't stop looking at a person, or following where they go with your eyes."

Tooru looked down, remembering how her very hair seemed to tingle where Kyou had plucked out the sakura petals. "But here." She tapped her temple. "It's here last?"

Shigure nodded. "It's different for everyone. But, yes, love has a way of creeping up on you. Your body knows it before your mind usually. And it's impossible to talk yourself into loving someone you don't."

Tooru considered that. "Why would someone try to do that?" That didn't make any sense.

"Many reasons." Shigure said, "Take, for example, an arranged marriage. These are two people who are to live together for the rest of their lives. Surely it would be happier if the union were a love match. So, when faced with no choice, one might try to talk the body into loving what's available." He watched Tooru absorb that. "Or, it could be that one person, who might be very nice and not objectionable, might love a second person. But that second person might not return that love. If they see the person is nice, and dependable, they might think "I should return their feelings" or "I don't want to hurt this person" and try to talk themselves into loving that person back."

She blinked, trying to take that in. She had that almost there feeling again, like trying to remember a word that was right on the tip of your tongue.

"Can I ask..." Shigure started, "What made Tooru-chan want to know all this? Was it just because Maseo-kun asked Tooru-chan on another date?"

"Fujitsima-san," Tooru said distractedly, her mind still trying to make that last leap, that last connection, "also asked if I would be his girlfriend."

"Ahhh..." Shigure said softly.

"And also..." Tooru looked up at him. "Hisae-san, a classmate, said that they thought Fujitsima-san was brave to compete with Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun."

Shigure propped his chin up with his fist. "They?"

"I don't know who exactly," Tooru's puzzlement was obvious. "Hisae-chan said "We all think..." but I don't know who..." She looked up at Shigure, "Or why they would think they'd be competing. Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun are my friends...Fujitsima-san said they were like brothers." There was a silent "Aren't they?" on the end of her sentence.

"I wonder if they think that." Shigure said softly.

"Should I ask them?" Tooru asked innocently. That would be the easiest way to find out.

"I would like to see that if you do." Shigure chuckled. He leaned over and mussed Tooru's hair. "But what is important..." He tweaked her nose, "Is what you think they are to you, all three of them. "She put her hand over her nose in surprise, giggling. "Did you give an answer to Maseo-kun?"

That sobered her quickly. Tooru shook her head, "Fujit-" She sighed and corrected herself. "Fuji-san surprised me."

"Fuji-san?" Shigure straightened.

"Oh, um...Hisae-chan decided that since Fuji-san and had been on a date we should be more... informal." Tooru shifted uncomfortably. "So I should call Fujitsima-san by Mother's standard "Fuji-san" and Fujit...Fuji-san would call me "Tooru-kun." She looked up at Shigure. "I'm not used to it yet."

"Mmmm... Hisae-chan decided, hmn?" Shigure mused.

"Hisae-chan and Fuji-san have been friends for a long time." Tooru nodded. "Hisae-chan will be at the viewing party with Akira-kun from class."

Tooru yawned.

Shigure looked at his desk clock. "It's late! My little flower should be in bed by now."

"Oh!" Tooru said, "I'll just wash out the teacups..."

"They can wait till morning." Shigure covered the hand reaching for his cup. "I don't want my little bride to over-sleep and not have time to make breakfast."

"I'd never do that!" Tooru said, shocked.

Shigure laughed and stood. "Just be a good girl and go on to bed."

Tooru nodded and let herself be led out of the study. "Goodnight Shigure-san, and thank you for talking to me."

Shigure gave a courtly bow, "I'm touched that my princess considers me worthy to consult." He straightened and hooked his fingers into his waist tie.

Tooru looked up at Shigure. "On Saturday, Shigure-san and I will clean up his study, right?"

He leaned against the doorframe, put a hand up to the top sill, and hung half in and half out of his room. "I'd like that."

"I'll enjoy talking with Shigure again." She smiled, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, my little flower."

It wasn't until she got upstairs that she realized she was still holding the book "Love's Battle." She decided to keep it for now. She had wanted to try one of Shigure's books for a while.

:0:0:

I think this will be about another two chapter before this one is complete. Maybe long chapters, lol! I'll try not to make the update too long in the making. – Merrow